All That's Left When Everything Else is Gone
by Death Rider
Summary: Begins after meeting young Samos but before the 3rd class race. Jak begins to cave under the pressure of his darker half's taunts. Can Torn help him before it's to late? Or will Jak fall into darkness? JxT Read & Reveiw!
1. All that I've done wrong

Disclaimer: The usually boring citations… (Pecker wrote that, anyway you know the drill)

Mild slash in later chaps, Don't like it don't read it.

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_(When this began)  
I had nothing to say  
And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me  
(I was confused)  
And I let it all out to find  
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind  
(Inside of me)  
But all the vacancy the words revealed  
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel  
(Nothing to lose)  
Just stuck/ hollow and alone  
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own _

He sat on the crumbling building in front of what use to be Samos's hut. _Can't be, can't be, it isn't real!_ But it was and the life he'd known was gone. Crumbled and decayed before his eyes. Jak laughed hollowly, not that he could return anyway. Too much blood stained his hands. Not all of it was evil. He'd taken the lives of innocent people. Trampled them beneath his feet to destroy the one man he ever hated. He didn't even have the excuse of blaming it all on the dark eco. No, he'd killed the innocent without having the beast raging through him. Simply people caught in the crossfire.

I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real  
I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long  
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)  
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real  
I wanna find something I've wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong

And I've got nothing to say  
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face

Pain, anger, rage, all of it clamored inside him to be let loose. To brake free and destroy all who'd wronged him. But that could lead to more loss of innocent lives. Funnily enough he didn't care. Only the knowledge that doing so would make him no better than Baron fucking Praxis kept him from letting Dark Jak have his freedom and the thought of accidentally hurting Dax; The only living thing left that gave a damn. Jak clenched his teeth, tilting his head toward the sky. The last good thing he'd fought for was gone Washed away by time and industry. _What's left?_ All that was left was the burning rage inside. The anger pulsed inside his chest in time with his heart. _Or what remains of it_, he thought bitterly. Nothing more than a shriveled organ inside his chest pumping tainted blood.

__

_(I was confused)  
Looking everywhere only to find  
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind  
(So what am I)  
What do I have but negativity  
'Cause I can't justify the way, everyone is looking at me  
(Nothing to lose)  
Nothing to gain/ hollow and alone  
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own  
_

Everything that ever mattered is gone. Even Daxter. Because Jak had wanted time alone, He was gone. He wasn't there, just like… Keira. She abandoned him, her and Samos both. **_Because_** **_we don't matter to them._** it whispered. Jak shook his head, No that wasn't true. _**Yes it is, why else would Samos forget you. **No, something happened to him!_The voice continued as if it hadn't heard him.**_ Keira's forgotten you too. You'll see._** _NO! _**_You're a monster._ **

_It wasn't true_. He repeated it like a mantra, over and over in his head, it wasn't true, it wasn't true. It was a desperate attempt to block out his darker self. _**They hated you, feared how easily you controlled the eco; that you'd become the next Gol. **They were proud of me, of Daxter. We beat them together._ Jak snarled, _I'M NOTHING LIKE GOL!_ **_Fool! They were only hiding their true feelings_. **_LAIR!_** _Am I?_**

_I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real  
I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long  
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)  
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real  
I wanna find something I've wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong _

_I will never know myself until I do this on my own  
And I will never feel anything else, until my wounds are healed  
I will never be anything till I break away from me  
I will break away, I'll find myself today_

_**You're a monster. **It _hissed**_ don't deny it. Why else do you let me loose so easily?_ **Jak shook his head vehemently. It was done out of the need for survival. Long suppressed Images started pouring through his head, no doubt supplied by Dark. A KG standing guard, Jak transforming, ripping through the elf, alarms going off, a red haze of killing joy as more KG swarmed the area. A young woman cowering as Jak advanced on her, claws drenched in blood. Citizens screaming in fear as Jak, surrounded by the KG transformed, ripping and rending he slaughtered all there, including citizens stupid enough to think hiding against a wall would save them. Jak shuddered as he could no longer avoid the truth. Oh god… how did Daxter stand him? he_ **was**_ a monster.** _Yes. _**He enjoyed it, all of it. He couldn't separate his alter ego from himself any longer. They were one and the same._ **I am everything inside of you.**_

He killed because of the rage, because he loved it. It was a balm on the empty husk that used to be his soul. It helped ease the pain of what Praxis put him through. "So it all comes back to him." this he said aloud. "I hate you. I hate you!" Jak stood abruptly. He screamed all the pent up rage in to the sky, headless of dark's laughter and the dark eco coming alive in his veins. "Jak." One word said with all the calm in the world, the total opposite of the tempest coursing through him. In his current state it was all it took to send him careening over the edge.

_I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real  
I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long  
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)  
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real  
I wanna find something I've wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong _

In full dark mode Jak slammed himself into the intruder. Caught of guard by the sudden attack Torn lost his balance, sending both of them tumbling over the edge of the ruined building. Lucky for them they landed on solid ground instead of the electrified water. Dark Jak snarled rolling them so he was on top. Grinning at Torn Jak dug his claws hard into his shoulder, so blood welled up and pooled beneath him. While his other drew back preparing to strike.

_I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong  
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong  
Somewhere I belong_

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Next chapter soon. Next chap will be normal, no song fic. Although I will have part of the lyrics in the beginning.Review please! Like right now.


	2. Face the demon in me

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it?

Sorry for the delay, would have had it up sooner but I had a mishap and lost the second chapter (Word didn't recover the file). But I was able to restore it to full health. Song is called 'cold' I think the band is called Crossfade. I know I said I'd use verses from 'Somewhere I Belong' but this was too good of a verse to pass up. Bloody fighting ahead.

Edit: guess what I found when going through the 'My Documents' folder. Three file recovered docs. THREE! And all of them were from the ORIGINAL chapter 2! I spent all that time trying to retype the second chapter exactly the way it was and these little buggers were just sitting there. Oh well. Its kinda scary how close I did manage to get it. All the extra stuff and rearranged stuff is how it was supposed to be. Although I did keep some of the new stuff when it fit. Enjoy the second chapter as it was supposed to be!

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_I never really wanted you to see  
The screwed up side of me that I keep  
Locked inside of me so deep  
It always seems to get to me  
I never really wanted you to go  
So many things you should have known  
I guess for me there's just no hope  
_

Torn had once come across wild red eco. He'd been scouting the area outside of the precursor ruins. The glow of the eco had drawn his attention. Curious he had picked it up. The resulting surge of power had nearly knocked him out with the intensity of it. The power roaring threw every artery, every vein, every capillary was incredible! Never had he felt that amount of energy. He felt as if he could take on anyone and anything. Now he understood why the baron ditched the old blue uniforms for red. Red represented power! Of course it had been a small amount of eco and the effect had dissipated quickly. Standing up, a little shakily, Torn had returned to report to his commander. He never said anything about the eco, but he the never forgot that feeling of power.

Torn pushed and punch Jak as he kicked his legs trying to find enough leverage to throw the demon off. How the hell could he be so strong? His attacks didn't faze him in the least; in fact it only seemed to amuse him. He just sat there with a hideous grin on his face while digging his claws into his shoulder while the other was poised to strike the final blow. Pain was continually arching through is shoulder were Jak's claws dug deep into the soft tissue. Dammit! He couldn't get his gun or knife. Jak's legs blocked his guns and he couldn't risk going for his knife when Jak could easily stop him, it might make the thing on top of him decide to just off him now instead of later. Casting his arm out he continued fight Jak while looking for something to aid him.

Torn's hand closed over a nicely sized rock. He would take this monster down. It meant that he'd kill Jak but right now all that mattered was his continued survival. Gripping the rock tightly Torn swung his fist as hard as he could into Jak's head. Caught off guard by the sudden movement Jak wasn't able to counter the attack in time so the jagged rock slammed into the dark warrior's temple. Dazed His grip loosened, sharp claws sliding out of abused flesh. Too bad it wasn't enough to knock him off of him. Pale hands reached up to probed the bleeding flesh just above his right eye Torn held his breath sensing the calm before the storm. This was it, he failed. Jak was going to kill him. . The blood running down the pale face was suspiciously dark. Too dark for any normal person, but then again turning into some blood crazed monster isn't exactly normal. himTorn curled his hand around the jagged rock. No, he wasn't giving up; he would fight this monster with his last breath.

Torn swung the rock again. Maybe if he hit him enough he'd bash his brains in. Unfortunately for Torn, Jak the movement this time around and snagged his wrist before the rock could make contact Snarling Jak slowly tightened his grip until Torn's hand went numb and he was forced to drop the rock. Jak didn't stop squeezing however he continued to tighten his grip. Torn hissed in pain as his bones began to pinch together, then as Jak increased his grip, snapped. Now Torn had suffered broken bones before but this was much worse as Jak continued to squeeze his wrist so the bones shattered further. Then after turning his wrist into so much mulch began twisting his wrist this way and that so the splintered pieces ground against muscle and bone alike. All the while he grinned darkly at Torn's cries.

He released his now useless wrist.

Torn panted with pain as Jak stood up. Threw bleary eyes He watched Jak stride away. Had he gotten bored? No, this version of Jak didn't seem the type to walk away when his prey could still scream. Prey? Holding his ruined wrist to his chest Torn shivered. It sounded right because that's what he felt like. He had a feeling Jak could have easily killed him but chose to have his fun instead. What had distracted him? Now that he could focus on something other than the pain Torn was suddenly aware of a growling that wasn't coming from Jak. Turning his head he saw them, metal heads. Dozens of them, fortunately they hadn't seen him, yet. . But Mar knew how long that would last; he wouldn't be able to hold them off with just his knife and pistols. Not to mention a shattered wrist and torn shoulder to boot. A movement above them caught his eye. Jak was perched above them like some giant bird of death.

This was his chance, when Jak went for the metal heads He would make a break for the security doors. If he could get inside the gate he could lock Jak outside the city walls. And if he returned to normal he'd let him back inside and maybe he wouldn't kill him. After all it would be a shame to loose his best man. Very slowly as to not attract the attention of either the metal heads or their stalker Torn sat up. Scooting back so he could brace himself against the wall Torn paused to watch Jak and the metal heads. With Jak's focus entirely on the Metal Heads Torn could get a good look at him. It was strange how despite transforming he still looked like Jak. No, that wasn't quite true. Jak was all bright colors and this… thing was darkness incarnate. Pale skinned and soulless eyes. Armed Sharp claws and vicious looking fangs. Hell it even had horns! Talk about your inner demons. Damn.

When he'd first saw the kid there was something just… off about him. With the rat you could see his differences but Jak… it was more of a feeling. His face was completely blank. But his eyes were so expressive that you could see what he was thinking. When Torn saw in them the first time it was disturbing. There was pain, the most obvious one. But in this city who didn't. Rage and anger were the most prominent. He saw honesty and further down and nearly gone was the smallest spark of compassion, which surprised him, he didn't expect that. But it was what lay underneath that bothered him. bloodlust. This was buried deep inside of him, smoldering just beneath the surface. The first two he'd brushed off… but the bloodlust was another matter. Jak was useful, so he ignored it. He wasn't quite as angry nowadays or not as often, at least not around him, the missions from him and Krew probably let him work that aggression off. But the bloodlust never left; at times it seemed so strong that he looked ready to tear out the nearest living thing's throat. This was most noticeable after dealing with metal heads or sometimes it was almost gone, like whatever lurked beneath had been satisfied for the time being.

It was when he came back from the pumping station he first noticed it. Before hand Jak was tense but after returning he was down right waspish. He could see the rage building underneath, how the rat never saw it was beyond him.

"_That's fine; I want him to know that it's me who's hurting him." _The vehemence behind those had given him pause. This was a man who held a grudge. Not like him and the rest of the underground, they're fighting for the city. They had seen the evil and were determined to stop it. But Jak, for him it was personal. He didn't care about the city, he just wanted his revenge. What had been done to him? Looking at Jak now Torn had to wonder. Praxis had been obsessed with the ultimate warrior when Torn left the KG, was Jak the product of that obsession? Where had he come from? He doubted Jak was an ex-KG, didn't have the tattoos for one thing and he hadn't known the city at all when they first met. Jak was probably some poor kid plucked off the streets somewhere, Kras City maybe? No, Jak's obvious distaste for the crowdedness that came with any city seemed to point somewhere else. Not that this was the time or place to be pondering Jak origins

Torn looked down at his wrist all swollen and already turning a nasty black color. He'd be lucky if he could ever use his hand again. His sholder was torn, ragged and screamed in agony with the stightest movement, but that was nothing a little green eco couldn't take care of. A roar of rage and pain pulled him from is thoughts. Torn turned his attention back to the metal heads and gasped. Jak had leapt right into the heart of them and was tearing through them like a hot knife through butter. Dark lightning crackled and snapped across his body and struck those before him. The sight was truly awesome and Torn momentarily forget he was supposed to be running.

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Dark sat on the edge of the long decaying structure glaring down at the creatures that had interrupted his fun. Stupid metal heads if he didn't deal with them now they would be more of a pain later. In any case he had no intention of letting them near his new play toy, yet. Speaking of which… Ha! Planning an escape are we my pet. His pet was currently easing himself up the wall, cradling his wrist protectively against his chest. Dark grinned, he couldn't help it. If his pet thought that was bad wouldn't he be surprised to know he was just playing a little rough. If he couldn't handle that then he wasn't going to last very long. Pity. this one had a lot of fire in him. And better yet the 'real' Jak was awfully found of this one. This was something he couldn't understand. all that man ever dose is bark orders. Dark rolled his shoulders experimentally. It had been awhile since he'd been in full control. It was nice not to have that saps morals clouding his thoughts.

Dark turned his attention back to the metal heads. They were just snuffling about. Stupid beasts. Crouching low to the building muscles tightened in anticipation, coiling like a spring. Then he was moving, so fast he was a blur. His claws tore through the nearest metal head slicing clear through it so neatly that it couldn't scream a warning before Dark was already on the next. Blood, hot and sweet and laced with dark eco arched into the air as he ripped through them all. If he wasn't pressed for time he would have stopped to take a sip.

Anyway getting back to the matter a hand. The metal heads below were snuffling about somehow never noticing the menace perched above them or the elf across the way. Dark's smirk widened, time to take care of business. Dark crouched low, muscles bunched and tightened into coiled springs. Then he was moving A metal head lifted its head just in time to see a blur heading straight for him. The next thing it was aware of was pain as dagger-like claws ripped through him. Blood, hot and sweet and laced with dark eco arched into the air as he ripped through it. If he wasn't pressed for time he would have stopped to take a sip. With its last breath the metal head bellowed in agony and rage. Before the other metal heads had a chance to react to their fallen comrade's cry Dark was already tearing through three more of the stupid beasts before they finally rallied themselves into action.

Dark grinned savagely. Finally, prey was no fun if it didn't fight back. The metal heads closed in on him at once in a vain attempt to over take him Dark leapt into the air dark energy gathered in his fist. Dark roared as he slammed back down to earth.

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It was that roar that shook Torn from his frozen stance. Jerking back to reality Torn did an about face and beat a hasty retreat. Fear made his heart pound. He'd lost his chance for a safe get away. If he could make it to the gates it would be a miracle. Then again Jak may be stronger but that didn't mean he was faster, right? Torn sped up, no, Jak was lightning quick in battle. The doors were a few yards away. So close. A shadow flew over head. Jak slammed down to the ground in front of him growling in outrage. Streaks of something familiar sparked along the ground and around Jak. Torn began backing up a Jak stood and began stalking towards him, growling all the while.

Torn's heart was a solid lump in his throat making it difficult to breath. Resistance and running hadn't worked maybe reason would work. Torn swallowed with difficulty. "Jak?" Torn croaked. "Jak you in there? Come on man, wake up." Torn felt a shiver When Jak suddenly smiled. **"Not… Jak…" **Torn stumbled back abruptly. He had hoped for an answer but that voice… it wasn't Jak's, not the Jak he knew anyway. Jak's voice was smooth; this thing's sounded more like gravel. Torn was confused, how could he not be Jak? Getting more nervous by the second Torn pulled his knife out as a precaution. "What? I don't… Jak? You're still in there, right?" Jak (or according to him not Jak) just kept grinning that insane smile. And smug like he knew something Torn didn't. "Come on Jak snap out of it. Its Torn, you remember me right?"

Just the slightest tensing of muscles was all the warning he got before Jak was upon him. Out of reflex Torn lashed out with the knife. His blow struck home but Jak plowed forward his claws burying deep. Torn grunted in pain and raised the knife to bury it again. Jak roared in rage and retaliated by raking his claws down Torn's sides and ripping up as much of his thigh as possible. Both Torn and Dark Jak fell to the ground in a bloody heap, Torn's injured wrist catching between them making Torn scream in agony. Torn brought the knife down a third time, this time Jak threw his head back and howled in pain. Snarling Jak raised his hand to finish him off. To do this he had to sit up and Torn took his chance and with both Hands on the hilt plunged the knife as deep as he could into Jak's chest.

Jak froze in shock, hands falling limply to his sides. Blinking down at Torn Jak, to Torn's Horror, with the blade still buried in his chest began to revert back to normal. Shuddering as He came out of the eco induced faze Jak stared down at the man beneath him in a mix of guilt and horror. Blood leaked out of the side of his mouth.

"T-Torn?"

tbc


	3. Return to the hideout

Disclaimer: Why do I bother with these things? I'm not Naughty Dog!

Far less actiony than the last chap., Also introducing a minor OC in the story. Took me longer to get this finished 'cause I was playing around with what Torn is experiencing. Basically figuring out what works and what doesn't. It'll make sense at the end. Song is 'Fallen' sung by Sarah McLachlan. just stick around for the next chap, okay?

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_We all begin with good intent  
Love was raw and young  
We believed that we could change ourselves  
The past could be undone  
But we carry on our backs the burden  
Time always reveals  
The lonely light of morning  
The wound that would not heal  
It's the bitter taste of losing everything  
That I have held so dear._

_That one looks like a zoomer_. Torn thought. Hazily he realized that watching cloud shapes when one was bleeding to death wasn't the wisest of things to do. After Jak had come out of it he'd fallen onto him and Torn, weak from blood loss hadn't the strength to move the body pinning him to the ground. Things were getting fuzzier than what they had been five minutes ago. He should get up and get back inside the city. But he was just too damn tired and in too much pain. _Hmm… that one looks like a croca-dog_. He really had to get up. But he was so comfortable. Torn tried to focus his suddenly hazy vision. Dammit he had to get up, now. Torn shoved Jak's body to one side wincing when the movement made his shoulder hurt like a bitch.

Torn forced himself to his knees. Nearly collapsed when doing so made everything spin alarmingly. Blinking Torn stared down at the blood coating the ground, wondered how much of it was his and much was Jak's. Oh god, Jak. Torn looked at the body of the seventeen year old. He laid there eyes closed, yellow-green hair spread across the ground like a halo; Blood from the stab wounds stained his cloths. He looked more peaceful there than anytime Torn had seen him. Dammit, if he'd known Jak was about to snap out of it he never would have…_ "Too little too late_." Torn thought bitterly, then again it could have been what brought him back. He had to get to the hideout before he passed out. He didn't have the strength to carry Jak, but he sure as hell wasn't going to leave him out here to be torn to pieces by metal heads and whatever else came along. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

Torn carefully gathered the teen's body and put him over his shoulder ignoring its screaming protest, he hadn't been a KG commander for nothing. Torn stood and nearly fell, but not from the extra weight surprisingly; Jak was alarmingly light. Once inside the city he if he could grab a flyer then getting to the hideout shouldn't be a problem. Then he had to break the news to Daxter. God he hated these things. But he could leave this one to the Shadow. Torn knew the rat would seek him out if only to rant and throw accusations at him. But Torn felt he was going to deserve every one of them. Pausing in front of the gates Torn became aware of the burning in his chest and thighs, glancing down he winced. His chest was an absolute mess. Large claw marks ran from just below his collar bone almost to his knees. On his sternum a raged hole oozed precious life providing fluids. Torn knew if the bone hadn't slowed the advance of deadly claws he would be dead instead of Jak. Once inside the city a sudden wave of nausea forced him to let go of Jak to bend over and puke his guts out.

Torn wiped his mouth clean once whatever had upset his system had been expelled. Torn lifted Jak back on to his shoulder and made his way over to a two-seater. Carefully strapping Jak in Torn positioned him to make it look like he was sleeping. Torn frowned it was still too suspicious with the blood covering him and Jak and there was something wrong with Jak's chest. Something other than the knife wounds but he couldn't seem to get his eyes to focus right. Torn leaned heavily on the vehicle, rubbed his eyes but couldn't get the black at the edge of his vision to go away. He'd lost too much blood, everything was fading out. He had to get to the Hideout NOW. Torn grabbed a ratty old blanket covered with unidentifiable stains and threw it over Jak's torso. Stumbling around the vehicle Torn climbed into the driver's seat where he slumped wearily for a moment before starting the ignition.

Pulling up into the high zone Torn nudged the flyer forward. Despite the urge to put petal to the metal Torn was careful not to go faster than the surrounding zoomers. For one thing his reflexes were too sluggish from blood loss to handle the flyer at anything over ten miles per hour. And driving like this was difficult as it was with one hand without careening around corners. So despite his vision leaking away into nothing Torn continued to creep forward at a snail's pace. He couldn't get the look on Jak's face out of his head. Did Jak have a spilt personality? What had happened to him? These were questions that demanded an answer that was no longer relevant. Not with Jak dead.

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Eelean Flint had been apart of the Krimson Guard for six months now and this was the first time he'd been sent outside the city walls. Most of the time he was doing drills with his squad or patrolling the various streets of Haven. Yes he had joined to see action. And Yes he expected to see blood and the various other things one would expect in a war. But standing in the middle of Dead Town Eelean wondered if perhaps he'd bitten off more than he could chew. When a call had come in from one of the scouts about a large group of metal heads moving toward the city via Dead Town and Eelean's group and several others had received orders to intercept he couldn't have been more thrilled. Finally after six months of boring patrols and drills Eelean was ready to see some real action. But what he hadn't expected was to be a guard dog for a clean up operation that should have been a seek and destroy mission.

He had heard stories about the carnage created by the metal heads form veteran Guards in the barracks. About how they would swarm all around you, ripping your comrades to pieces right before your eyes and how the screams of the unlucky bastards left behind in a retreat as they were eaten alive would haunt you for the rest of you life. It was an unspoken rule that anyone that fell behind was left behind. The more graphic stories made his heart race and his blood run cold but what was before him now scared him more than any story that his fellow guards had come up with. Not because it was the remains of mangled and torn KG, but because it was the monsters themselves.

From all the horrors stories he'd heard from the streets to the barracks Eelean never could have imagined a creature as dangerous and vicious to be able to slaughter over 30 metal heads and live. Slaughter it was too. Much of the area was covered with pieces of the beasts; Decapitated heads, disemboweled torsos, missing limbs, or just lumps of shredded metal meat. Whatever it had been, Eelean never wanted to be unlucky enough to meet it. But the rumors and stories about an escaped convict made Eelean more than a little uneasy. Supposedly this renegade running loose around the city was an experiment of some sort. Having obtained superhuman powers that transformed him into a monster.

The actual details were sketchy, but he had heard of a group of KG that had up and vanished right around the time these stories had begun to circulate. One of his buddies had heard that the squad had been given special clearance for some project and had been 'disappeared' to keep it under wraps when something went wrong. Before then one of the commanders had taken leave unexpectedly when he had a nervous breakdown over some assignment. Eelean had heard rumors that he'd been assigned to some top secret project along with Commander Erol. While most of the guards were skeptical about the supposed monster, one of Eelean's buddies –the same one that told him about the KG squad – had been viscously attacked while on patrol in the industrial districted.

Eelean had seen what was left of the body. It had made a believer out of him and since then he'd been doubly cautious on his patrols. But this… it was too damn similar to Ace – his friend – for his comfort. He'd often wondered if he'd been there whether or not he could have saved him, but if his suspicions were correct… then Eelean would have been just as dead as Ace. There were also the numerous guards that had been killed in pursuit of the convict to consider; if the stories were true than the KG could kiss their buts good-bye.

"Private Flint!"

Eelean snapped to attention at the sound of his name. KG training kicked and automatically made him straighten his back and salute his superior. "Yes Sir, Commander Erol, Sir!" Erol regarded him with indifference. "Take this to lab analysis immediately." Erol handed him a package. "Wait there for the results then bring them to my office." Erol turned away for a moment then spun back around. "If I'm not there, wait outside."

"Yes Sir!"

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Torn was able to get to the area where the slums connected to the industrial district before He ran into trouble. While notoriously slow drivers, Havenites weren't known for their finesse and tended to get into pile ups in the most inconvenient places. So now he was stuck in traffic right at the spot right before where the narrow ally widened into the slums where the Underground was located. Too exhausted to continue to sit up now the adrenaline rush had worn off Torn slumped in his seat. Glancing at Jak Torn frowned his vision was wobbling so bad Jak looked like he was shivering. It was almost as if he were still alive. But that wasn't a possibility; he had stabbed him through the heart. At least he thought it was the heart, everything was so fuzzy he couldn't remember.

What he could remember was the searing pain in his wrist when caught in the adrenaline rushing through his body as he used both his hands in the final attack against Jak. Even now the splintered pieces of his wrist continued to scream in agony as the broken pieces ground together. Torn became aware of a buzzing in his head and had to fight the urge to just close his eyes and sleep. If he let himself go now he wouldn't wake up and if by some miracle he didn't die, should he get caught by the Guard he would be better off dead. If his suspicions were correct and Jak was an escaped experiment then Praxis would cut his body to ribbons for further research. He wasn't going to let that happen. Jak deserved better than to be treated as a lab rat.

"Move out of the way asshole!" the incensed yells and blaring horns of the drivers behind him sluggishly drew Torn's attention back to the road. The road was clear and now it was him who was causing the traffic problems. But Torn couldn't move, his body was no longer responding to his commands. Torn sighed as his vision began to darken, the shouts behind him were fading into the background; too late now, he was dieing. Something was shaking him but he was too far gone to care. He was falling into darkness and he couldn't stop the descent. He let it all leave him. Torn was able to spare a thought for what was going to happen to Jak's body, but even that was beginning to cease having any meaning. Blackness finally closed his vision and Torn knew no more.

……………………

………………………..Torn……………

……………please………………Torn………

Torn moaned; everything hurt. Was death supposed to hurt this much? His upper body felt as if somebody poured gasoline on and took a match to it. His wrist felt three times its size. He didn't want to wake up. Not if it meant living with this for the rest of eternity. Was this his punishment for following the Baron as long as he did? Torn guessed that the precursors had decided that he'd not done enough to make up his mistakes and sent him to hell to live in eternal damnation.

…………Torn……………

…………wake up…………..

No, it was easier just to lay here and Listen to the sound of waves crashing against the shoreline. The ebb and flow of the water was soothing, almost like a heartbeat. The crash as the wave broke then the trickle as it made its way back to its heart. As he fell deeper into the rhythm of the sea the pain he was experiencing receded to a more tolerable level and the voices calling him faded away. Torn turned his head letting his eyes open just enough to view the shoreline. It looked as peaceful as it sounded. But there was something off. Something about this peaceful scene set warning bells off in Torn's head, telling him that everything was not as it should be. Torn forced himself onto his knees and sat up to stare at the bizarre state of the world around him.

It wasn't moving

The sea, it was still. Not a calm, serene sea with gentle waves; but completely still. No movement what so ever, but the sound of crashing waves continued. The shoreline in front of him was stuck in a retreat, defying all sense of the laws of physics. Was he dreaming? He felt awake. But hadn't he just been in a zoomer, in the middle of the Slums? Torn suddenly remembered, Jak! All remaining pain was forgotten as Torn stood up and examined the area frantically. If he'd ended up here surely Jak would be here as well? "J-jak?" Torn could have smacked himself for that. Jak was dead, he couldn't answer him. But he still couldn't believe it. He was so stupid; he never meant to kill Jak, not as long as he could still change back anyway. He had and now Jak was dead. Something snapped behind him and Torn whirled to face the threat.

"Jak!"

Torn stared at who he thought was Jak standing just outside the tree line of the beach. It looked like Jak but he was young. Well, Jak was young but this boy was younger than the Jak he knew, by a couple of years maybe. But those eyes, they were unmistakable. This Jak wore torn white pants and a sleeveless tunic. His hair was shorter and was styled up. It couldn't be! That boy… He stared at Torn with open curiosity and an innocence that he had never seen in Jak. Torn took a step forward. "Jak?" Torn frowned when Jak recoiled, the young boyish imaged flickered for a moment and Torn saw the renegade he had come to know for a moment before the younger Jak stood before him again. What in the world? Torn took another step and stopped when Jak flickered again and Torn could see Jak glaring at him before he changed back and bolted into the woods.

Torn took off after him, leaving the strange body of water behind he bolted into the woods after Jak. Upon entering the forest he immediately lost site of Jak. The thick foliage took visibility to zero and quick movement was nearly impossible. But even so, Torn couldn't have lost him so quick. He hadn't been three seconds behind him; it was if he just vanished into the wind. Torn called Jak's name again receiving no answer other than his own voice echoing off the trees. Torn pushed his way threw the dense undergrowth looking for signs of someone having passed through. Alarm bells started going off in his head again when a twig snapped somewhere not to far away. Torn suddenly had the feeling of being stalked. Something was out there. He wasn't tracking Jak anymore. Something was tracking him.

Torn dropped low to the ground. It didn't do much in the way of spotting his stalker but with all the plant life he was hidden better than if he remained standing. Straining his ears Torn could hear something moving through the brush across from him. Torn tensed as whatever it was got closer and closer. Low growls reached his ears; it was three feet to his left. Not taking his eyes off the general area of the unknown creature's location Torn reached for his gun. Torn swore and almost took his eyes off the area when he came up empty. Idiot that he normally wasn't, he hadn't noticed the absence of his weapons. Now he was in the middle of a jungle - how had that happened anyway? - with precursors knew what stalking him. He shouldn't have got up this morning.

The growls suddenly stop; everything going quite. The only thing he could hear was the distant sound of the ocean. Torn readied himself for the impending attack. Every muscle in his body tensed; adrenalin pumping hard through his body. The forest around him suddenly exploded with sound, all the animals letting out horrible screams. Fear pounded in his chest. Before Torn could react He was body slammed with the force of a semi that sent him crashing into a tree yards away. Torn heard the tree crack from the force of the impact and let out a groan of pain. Torn crumpled to the ground, his vision swam in and out. Something grabbed him around the neck and hauled him up. Torn shook his head to clear it. His eyes focused long enough to stare into a pair of soulless black orbs before razor sharp claws tore through his skull; shredding bone and brain.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Torn jerked awake a cry ripped from his throat, sweat ran down his face as he wrestled with the remains of the nightmare. Hands push him back to the bed. Everywhere he hurt, from his head to his legs. And he was hot, burning hot. Pushing at the blankets covering him he tried to relieve the heat coursing through his body. It wasn't enough; Torn moved restlessly seeking a way to cool his body. Something icy cold touch his forehead, making him gap like a fish. The cold seemed to race through his body. A soothing voice reached his ears, easing his fears and calming his racing heart. He really didn't care about the voice; all that mattered was the wet coolness on his face. That small amount of relief allowed him to open his eyes.

Tess was leaning over him, the worry lines in her face eased a little when she saw him looking at her. "Thank goodness you awake." Tess removed the cloth to wet it again and lay it over his forehead, "You have a fever, Torn. Take this and sleep." Tess helped him sit up so he could sip whatever was in the cup. The soothing liquid hit the back of his throat. Its chill slid down to cool his insides, and Torn lifted his hand to cover Tess' so he could tilt the cup further. "Easy! You are going to make yourself sick!" Torn ignored her in favor of drinking the bitter tasting- but wonderfully cool- concoction that was rapidly making him sleepy. His head felt so heavy he had trouble keeping it up. The pain was slipping away along with his awareness of his surroundings. Torn Sighed as he was eased back onto the bed, just before he totally lost it he spared a though to what had happened to Jak.

Tbc

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ha, I'm ending here. So you'll just have to wait to see what happens. Is Jak really dead? I'm not tellin'. Mwhahahahahacough. Originally I had this going to when Torn finds out what happened to Jak Bu-----t I changed my mind.


	4. Sickness

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. Can't think of anything sarcastic right now.

Whee! It's the forth chapter! I've broken the habit of basically abandoning my fics before or at the third chapter. I'm afraid I loose interest in them, but now I'm occupying myself with other fics to give me a break from one. Yay! Lyrics are 'Never Alone' from Barlow Girl.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_I cried out with no reply  
And I can't feel You by my side  
So I'll hold tight to what I know  
You're here and I'm never alone_

Days were passing slowly as Torn drifted in and out of conciseness. Pain was a near constant companion when he was able to remain awake. Everyday the Shadow would heal his wrist a little bit more. The longest session was when he was still unconscious and the shadow had to put the splintered pieces of the bone back into their proper place. Even with the treatments the Shadow said he would have some pain the rest of his life. Now his wrist rested inside a cast. The rest of his wounds were healing slowly; unusually slow. The Shadow said it was from the minute traces of dark eco in the wounds. And bit by bit His body was slowly healing around it. As a result the new skin had the slightest purple twinge to it.

Everyone was avoiding the subject of Jak. Whenever he was aware enough to ask, everyone suddenly had something else to do. The Shadow would start rattling on about battle plans, Tess would start chatting about the weather. He was desperate enough that he would have asked the rat, but he was nowhere to be seen. Something he would have been grateful for except that ever since that damn dream he had to see if the dark renegade was really the boy he'd briefly known or if it was just a trick from the fever induced dream.

Once he'd even asked where the stupid rodent was, but all he got from Tess was a clipped "he's with Jak." This was pretty good since it had been the first time anybody had said his name. It was strange that he hadn't come to yell at him yet. It left him to wonder if the rat had killed himself in a fit of grief or –the more logical one- was at Jak's deathbed. Maybe it was guilt, but Torn was worried about the stupid rat. It was so attached to Jak that even Tess couldn't get him to leave the room where Jak was. Well since nobody would tell him, he would just go find Jak himself.

Torn sat up carefully so not to agitate his wounds. Apparently, having dark eco infested wounds meant there would be more pain than normal. This made Torn wonder how much pain jak was in all the time since he was saturated in the stuff. That piece of information came as a shock to him. It cemented his theory further. He new the baron was evil, but to go to such lengths as to pump someone full of the most deadly substance on the planet… Torn shuddered-then winced when the movement made his chest and thighs scream- the Baron's actions spoke of a level of insanity that Torn been previously unaware of. But it wasn't for certain, for he knew Jak was born that way.

Standing was more difficult than he thought, not only did he have still being sick to contend with. But every step he made had sharp needles piercing through him. Damn eco wounds. Torn used his good arm to support himself on the wall; his legs weren't strong enough to support him on their own, not with his temperature anyway. But he couldn't wait any longer, the need was to strong. He made the first tentative steps towards his room's door. Several times he had to stop to catch his breath. Sweat was running down his face, making his hair stick to his neck.

When Torn pushed the door open it was almost too heavy for him to move. His whole body quivered with the effort it took. Stepping into the hall Torn had to take a moment to catch his breath and think where they would have put the body. Then he remembered Jak had taken the farthest room to the back of the underground. Since it was so cold everyone else avoided it. It probably was the reason Jak took it. It was also the farthest room from him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Torn nearly collapsed against Jak's door, it may have been his weight that helped push it open. The air in the hall was chilly, but when the door opened the blast of freezing air sent shivers down Torn's fevered body. How did Jak and the rat sleep in here? 'Not important', he told himself. Torn sat on the ground just inside the door 'cause he couldn't stand anymore. Shivers racked his body, But what he'd come for was right across the room from him. Jak lay prone on the bed. His face turned away from him. Torn pushed him self to his knees, then to his feet and stumbled the last few feet of his journey and collapsed.

Torn hesitated, what if he was him? What if he wasn't? Fear kept him from checking Jak's arm. The boy from two years ago…Torn had found him hiding in an ally behind some boxes. He never would have known he was there if he hadn't hid there himself. He hadn't been too sure who was more startled by the presence of the other. He had been covered with cuts and bruises that faced the threat of infection from the layers of filth that covered him from head to two. All he wore were a pair of short shorts that may have been a decent pair of pants at one time and a tattered tunic. It was the Roman numeral tattoo on his arm that told Torn he was an escaped prisoner. A newbie if they hadn't given him a uniform yet.

He couldn't think that kid as a criminal. He was too young, too scared; too terrified of Torn. If there hadn't been a huge alert Torn was sure he would have ran. He'd tried to calm him, assure him he meant no harm. It hadn't worked as well as he liked but at least the kid wasn't ready to bolt at a moments notice. That wasn't quite true, He was still tense and flinched at the slightest sound, but Torn was no longer his biggest worry. They had sat there for hours their discomfort only increased by the pouring rain; the alert only grew as the minuets ticked by. The streets were crammed with Krimzon Guard and Torn feared they would have to risk making a break for it soon otherwise they would be discovered for sure.

So when there seemed a minimum of guards Torn had grabbed the kid and made a break for it. They had made it a few blocks before they were spotted. It was only a few guards so Torn disposed of them with little trouble. But the look on the kid's face when he'd killed them. It was like the concept of death by a fellow elf was completely foreign to him. So he bolted. Torn had chased after him. The kid was fast. He'd lost him after a couple of blocks. Torn hadn't known what happened to him until he'd seen a Krimzon Guard cell transport, like the one they totted lurkers around in, entering the fortress with the kid in the cage.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?"

Torn whipped around to face a very pissed off ottsel. Daxter stood there trembling with rage. Finger pointed at him in accusation, "GET THE FUCK OUT!" Torn stared at the ottsel without comprehension. "YOU – YOU MURDERER" Torn's eyes widened slightly. Murderer? "JAK'S BEEN THROUGH HELL AND BACK. HE DESEVES SOME HAPPYNESS IN HIS LIFE, BUT HE AIN'T GUNNA GET THAT NOW!" Daxter leapt and landed in front of Torn's face. "AND DO YOU KNOW WHY? HUH, DO YA?" Daxter didn't wait for Torn to respond before barreling on. "CAUSE YOU SENTENCED HIM TO DIE A SLOW DEATH IN SOME FREEZEING ROOM TWELVE FEET BELOW THE SURFACE. SO WE DON'T EVEN HAFTA BURY HIM WHEN HIS BODY FINALLY GIVES OUT 'CAUSE HE'S ALREADY TWICE AS DEEP THAN HE NEEDS TO BE!"

Torn blinked. Finally gives out? Slow death? Torn stopped listening to Daxter's rant. Was Jak…still alive? Hope fluttered in his chest. "Jak's…alive?" Daxter stopped mid rant. Sneering he leaned closer to Torn's face so their noses were touching. "What's a matter? Disappointed?" Daxter huffed. "Jak can't fight the infection so you won't have to wait long. Why don't you go and murder some more best-friends or something since you are so good at it." Torn just sat there. But how? Jak wasn't breathing, he didn't have a pulse. Just to make sure he pressed his fingers to his neck. Nothing. "DON'T TOUCH HIM!"

"What in heavens name – Torn! What are you doing here; your fever hasn't broken yet! You should be in bed resting." Samos helped the commander off the floor. Daxter followed them to the door just to make sure he was gone. "And don't come back!" he shouted after them before slamming to the door.

Samos help Torn onto his bed one they were back in his room. "I don't know how you managed to get so far Torn, but your body is far too weak to put it through such an exertion." Torn resisted Samos' attempts to make him lie down. "Daxter thinks Jak's still alive. Why?" Samos sighed, "Because he is." Torn stared at him incredulously, "That's impossible, he doesn't have a pulse!" Samos sat down, this would take some explaining.

"Jak's not dead; he's in a type of extreme hibernation. His body has slowed down so much that it is only moving about thousandth of its normal speed. That's why you didn't feel a pulse."

"Hibernation… wait a minute! He has an infection, right? Why haven't you healed him yet?" Torn demanded. This didn't make any sense; the shadow should have been able to split the eco between them.

"I'm sorry Torn, but Jak's body is rejecting the eco."

"That can't be right! I've seen Jak use it before!" Torn would not accept this. "What about his white blood cells? Why can't he fight the infection?"

Samos nodded, "yes, his white blood cells did battle the infection for a time, but they're dieing off and his body can't produce any more unless he comes out of the state he's in."

"But he'll die! His wounds…"

"So you see now? Either way Jak dies. There is nothing I can do." Samos pushed Torn down. "Lie still now, I'm going to try and bring your fever down."

Torn allowed himself to be subjected to the shadow's treatment, his fever ravaged mind never realizing he never got to check Jak's arm.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The hall smelled like moldy erasers from whatever they used to clean the place. The perfectly white halls were quite except for the occasional Scientist or lab personnel on their way to whatever they were doing. An entire week he'd been here. Thank the precursors for the vending machines and bathrooms in the staff room where he'd been told to wait since Commander Erol wanted him to bring the results as soon as they were in.

Apparently he didn't want to risk the communication line being tapped or other wise Eelean was sure he would have had the results called in; whatever he was having processed had to be important. Eelean rolled his eyes. Of course it was important; you don't usually send something to the lab over a metal head clean up. Actually, you don't normally have a metal head clean up unless it was inside the city or something. But that had never happened. Eelean shook his head, he was thinking too much. Whatever was going on wasn't his business. Asking questions would only get him killed. Following orders; that was his job.

The door opened and a pretty young lab assistant poked her head in. she had a nervous, twitchy air about her that reminded Eelean of a croca dog on crack. When she spotted him she visibly jumped and stuttered. "T-he me-en upstair-s s-said to g-gives th-this to a K-k-kG." the girl held out a package. Eelean drew himself to his full height. He purposely tightened his grip on his rifle to draw her attention to it. His intimidation tactic worked because she squeaked and stuttered out something that was so broken up he couldn't understand it. But she left the package by the door and fled. Eelean smirked beneath his mask and retrieved the package.

Eelean left the research labs quickly to deliver the package to Commander Erol. The trip from the labs to the fortress was uneventful. Although he saw several instances that he could have harassed a citizen the package was top priority. When Eelean reached Commander Erol's office, before he had a chance to knock the door slid open. Erol sat at has desk watching him intently. The Commander's intense stare made shivers run down his spine. So after saluting him Eelean placed the package in Commander Erol's hands and left as quickly as he came.

After Erol opened the package and viewed the contents he turned to his window overlooking the city and smiled.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Shit that took a long time. Never meant to wait this long but I hit writer's block a paragraph away from finishing. Sorry if the last bit seemed a little rushed. Hope you enjoyed and review me to let me know what you think.


	5. Dispair and Hope

Disclaimer: Naughty Dog owns Jak and Daxter

I am not Naughty Dog

Therefore I do not own Jak and Daxter

It was some time after I finished the fourth that I realized Jak hasn't had a real scene since the first. His body and darker half have. I know this is a Torn/Jak and I apologize if it seems a little slow. I'm having fun writing this and am grateful for your reviews. Lyrics are "Qoute" by Evans Blue.

would you all believe I forgot to post the next chapter? well I did! *shuffles away to hide from angry readers*

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Is this how you want to go down?

Right before my eyes

You are the saddest sight I know

You're quiet you never make a sound

But here inside my mind you are the loudest one I know

It was too quiet. After Samos had dragged a delirious Torn away all the rage that had pushed its way to the surface so violently had just drained away, leaving Daxter exhausted and if possible, even more depressed than before. He had slumped down against the door on the floor and just sat there. The only noise in the room was the dripping pipe in the corner and the gentle hum of blue-eco bulbs. "Well Jak ol' buddy, looks like it's just you an' me again…"

Jak didn't answer. But Daxter couldn't stand the quiet, so he had to talk even if there wasn't anybody to answer him back. He had done it in Sandover, but never really stopped. Just 'cause his buddy had found his voice in the two years they'd been apart didn't mean he took advantage of it often. But it was different now, Jak didn't answer because he couldn't. Daxter missed the time when Jak only wouldn't.

Eventually he curled up next to the cold body on the bed instead of the cold floor. Daxter kept up the small talk for over an hour, everything from the traffic in the bazaar to the annoying stones that get stuck between your toes . And all the while Jak just lied there white as a sheet and fading. Daxter could almost swear Jak was just soaking up his words, was being soothed by them. And Daxter just let himself think that, let himself be comforted by the thought that Jak was still in there somewhere and that he was bringing him some sort of comfort by not forgetting him. 'Cause he was still here even when everyone else had put him away and went on with their lives as if he'd never been.

So Daxter just kept talking. Because right now he wasn't the annoying, orange rat and Jak wasn't the tortured, revenge driven renegade. They were two best friends that found all sorts of mischief among the trees and rocks. And every second he was closer to loosing the most important thing in his life. So if speaking of mundane things that had nothing to do with dark eco, metal heads, or revenge delayed Jak's departure from his life even one nanosecond then the tearing sensation in the region of his heart that got worse with every word he spoke was well worth it, Because he wasn't ready to let go yet. And when Jak went he would be taking a large part of Daxter with him.

"Daxter?"

Tess standing at the door with a tray of bandages and antiseptics. Time to change Jak's bandages. Daxter tried his best to put on his patented ottsel grin but it came off brittle and unsure, "Hey there Tessy-kins". Tess smiled reassuringly as she came in and set the tray on the stand next to the bed. Daxter moved to the other side of the prone body on the bed to give Tess room to work on Jak without having to reach around him. "Has he moved at all?" Tess inquired, hoping that maybe despite what the shadow said Jak might pull through this. He wasn't a bad person and Tess was scared Daxter might decide to follow his best friend if he left. Daxter shook his head, not bothering to say anything. This process always seemed to drain whatever speech was left in the ottsel. Slipping on latex gloves Tess pulled back to the blankets to reveal the torso warped in bandages discolored by the infection seeping out of the injuries.

This was the only time he couldn't pretend Jak was just sleeping. As Tess unwound the bandages the grotesques flesh hidden beneath was revealed to their eyes. Both couldn't help but cringe a little inside every time this was done. The skin surrounding the wounds was red and inflamed, but it the wounds themselves that were so bad. Every time they did this it seemed more puss had gathered, the smell that permitted the room threatened to over power them both. Daxter couldn't help to cover his nose as Tess went through the nightly process of manually removing as much of the infection as she could and applying antiseptics to try and keep the injuries clean. It was a loosing battle, it seemed that no matter how often it was done or amount of disinfectant was applied nothing made a damn bit a difference.

Tess finished re-wrapping the wounds so that he looks like he was only sleeping. It would hold for a while, long enough for the sun to rise and Jak would have lasted a full week and a half. Then Tess would need to go and buy more bandages for both injured men.

Tess swallowed with some difficult, this never agreed with her but the shadow refused to do this anymore. Jak was dieing, with no way to stop it, why waste the eco when there are others who need it? And there were the circumstances of Jak and Torn's injuries. The blood on Jak's hands, the claw marks on Torn, and of course Torn's knife buried in Jak's chest. It wasn't hard to guess what happened. Suffice to say it had shaken the shadow's faith in Jak and Tess was sure it contributed a large part in his decision. Tess glance over towards Daxter, sitting on the other side of Jak holding one of his hands, he didn't know any of this. Daxter was street savvy and a tough survivor. But his biggest weakness came in the form of a certain blond renegade. Dax was hanging on by a thread; if this got back to him Tess was afraid he'd break completely. Tess couldn't let that happen to him. And besides, she had a promise to keep.

Tess smiled as bright as she could. "It'll be okay, Daxxie. Jak's strong." Daxter laughed brittlely, "Yeah, Jak's a tough bastard. He won't let some micro nasties get the better of him." Daxter scrubbed hastily at his eyes as they welled up with tears. "Dammit…" Tess smiled sympathetically and pulled the ottsel into her arms as Daxter lost his battle. "oh, Daxter…"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was so surreal at first, like dreaming while awake. A part of you kept thinking you'd wake up any moment while in the back of your mind you knew this was reality. Seeing Jak covered in blood and pale as the moon being carried through the door in the arms of some underground lackey had been like that. All his fears, worries, and general anxieties had come to life in that moment. Like someone had reached into his mind found his worst fear and was playing it out for Daxter to watch while they sat back and laughed.

Now it seemed to almost normal. Everyday was the same thing. Wake up. Change jak bandages. Watch as he grew weaker with each tick of the clock. Change bandages again. Go to sleep and repeat. It didn't make sense. Not since they were thrown through the portal, not since Jak had lost an essential part of himself to the beast eating him from the inside out.

sitting up Daxter glared at the unconscious form of his best friend. He could still absorb green eco. It was a struggle sometimes. But never before had he rejected it out right. Something was missing. Some vital piece of information the Daxter had forgotten or dismissed as the norm. He could use green eco, he could. Daxter started to pace the length of the bunk. So what was different now from the other times? think, dammit think. the claw marks on Torn, he'd seen enough to recognize Dark's handy work. Dark Jak had come out to play, Torn got caught in the middle. Daxter sent anouther baleful look at Jak. the eco incarnate was a pain in the ass, no matter how useful he could be, sometimes the con outweighed the pros.

Okay... Dark, dark eco, green eco. Dark eco... there was tons of the stuff on alot of missions. Either from the spilled blood of metal heads, wild stuff, of the shit stuffed in containers. Jak usually had a steady stream of the stuff comin' to him like he was a high powered ...

Frown, pause, resume pacing.

Dack eco and lots of it. Jak could bring the dark to the surface when there was enough or forcefully Dark manifested itself at critical overloads. overloads, jak had an overload with Torn nearby resulting in the present carnage. Now Jak was drained of the dark stuff. He'd been in coma or whatever it was since. Daxter froze as his eyes widened.

Jak had been exposed to dark eco for long periods of time causing his whole body's chemistry to mutate. Since getting out of prison he'd been absorbing whatever was available to replace what he'd used. Jak always had a large level of the dark stuff in his system, his body needed it to function normally. Jak had been critically injured of passed out before he could replace what had been expended. Without the the dark eco his body couldn't process the Green and rejected it! Holy precursors that was it!

With renewed hope Daxter turned to the figure on the bed. "Hold on just a little bit longer, buddy. You'll be better before you know it!" Daxter shot from the bed, out the door, pass Torn's room, through the main room, and out onto the back streets of Haven City's slums.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Erol stood next the window overlooking the city. A hundred stories below him he was hiding somewhere. For months Erol had hunted him with the rabid determination that had made him KG Commander years ago. The only thing that topped his desire to crush the eco freak was his love of racing. Since the beginning of Jak's capture regular blood samples had been taken to keep an analysis on his DNA. The same went for all KG soldiers, except theirs were taken for identification on the field, dog tags weren't reliable enough because metal heads sometime destroyed them. So blood was the next best thing, since there was always plenty of it.

Now upon his desk sat the confirmation that Jak and Torn had been present in Dead Town when the metal heads were on the move. Both had been wounded, rather badly from the amount of blood present. But the tracks on the ground told a far more interesting tale. Erol chuckled at the thought of the fight between his old KG rival and the freak. While it would have been simpler and more than slightly amusing, finding them both dead wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying as killing them himself. It was only a matter of setting the chess board in his favor, position all the players so that they all ended up doing his bidding and opening the way to his victory.

Yes, both Jak and Torn were injured and weak. With the Underground's Second in Command and top fighter out of commission they would be confused and uncoordinated. The majority would be more focused on getting them better than running around and making a general nuisance of themselves. It gave him the advantage; he had the power to cut them off from the supplies they needed…well, most of the supplies. He didn't need them dying before he got the chance to end their existence himself. He would have to close most of the medical facilities and anyplace that sold medical supplies. Keeping only a few open and therefore limiting their options and increase his chance of catching them. Tighter surveillance would be set up to keep an eye on suspected Black market suppliers.

It was only a matter of time until they slipped up and led him straight to his prey.

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End file.
